Page 4 of Claim Me

I had never been so angry.

Nothing against Chloe Daniels. She was a very nice girl. Turned out that I just wanted him all to myself.

But I think there comes a point when you've been friends for just way too long and it's just never going to evolve into anything more.

Zephyr and I have gone through high school together and nothing remotely romantic has happened between us.

I wanted it to.

We went to prom together. I prayed to every God in every sky that he would kiss me.

But he didn't.

We slow-danced together on the dance floor.

But even that felt sort of sibling-esque.

I am just going to have to be okay with the fact that I will always be in Zepyhr’s life even if it's just as his very best friend.

I think that could be enough.

Better than the alternative, right? Better than not having him at all?

And, I know.

I know that he will meet some perfect girl one day.

And it will kill me.

And I will have to smile and go to parties with them and pretend I’m totally cool while small daggers of pain plunge into my heart every time I see him touch the small of her back.

Maybe I won’t be able to stand it.

Maybe I’ll need to walk away.

But I try not to think about that.

For now, he’s mine.

Sort of.

All of these thoughts tumble around in my brain when I hear the familiar rapping of a fist against my window.

I look outside my second-story bedroom of my childhood home that I’m so close to leaving to find Zephyr in a tree.

This happens a lot.

My parents are pretty strict and they have never really understood the guy-best-friend thing, so he’s not exactly allowed up here.

Zephyr and I have found our way around that.

I lift my window.

“Shouldn’t you be finishing packing?” I ask.

Zephyr helps himself into my room, careful not to step on the creaky parts of my floor.

“We need to change schools,” he tells me, before settling onto my bed.

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